PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 52: Ace's Reborn
by HPDrummerman
Summary: After an extensive rebuild from the fires the previous summer, Ace's finally reopens to the delight of the people of Sparkyville. The heighten security, however, drives the kids away, even when they're with their parents. (Special guests Claudia, Skylar, Krissy, and Red by LivingOnLaughs)
1. Chapter 1

Episode 52: Ace's Reborn!

**CHAPTER 1: WELCOME BACK!**

"Hurry up, Sally!" Charlie Brown called to his sister who was still getting dressed. "Frieda and Michael will be here any minute, and you're still getting ready."

"I'm almost done, big brother!" Sally called back.

"That's what you said 15 minutes ago!" Charlie Brown retorted.

The Brown siblings were getting ready for the reopening of Ace's Ice Cream Shop. Everyone in town was going to be there. Snoopy and Marbles had already went ahead to get their brothers Andy and Olaf, along with Woodstock. Charlie Brown was pacing back and forth waiting for Sally, who had went through 20 different clothing changes. She had finally came down dressed in a baby blue gown with her hair done up nice. She also had some makeup on.

"Good grief, Sally, aren't you overdoing it a bit?" asked Charlie Brown. "It's only the reopening of Ace's; not a movie premiere!"

"Exactly!" said Sally. "It has been almost a year since Ace's was last open since the fire, and I want it to be a special occasion."

"Well, to each his own, I guess," sighed Charlie Brown. At that moment, the doorbell rang. Charlie Brown went to answer it, to see Frieda and Michael standing there.

"Come on in, you two," said Charlie Brown. And they went in.

"How are you, sweetie?" asked Frieda, kissing Charlie Brown.

"I'm okay. Sally FINALLY got ready before you both showed up."

"Wow, babe!" said Michael, seeing his girlfriend. "You look nice and all, but this is a casual affair."

"That's what I told her, Michael," said Charlie Brown.

"You mean I have to get out of this dress and put on some casual clothes?!" whined Sally.

"Oh no, you dressed up like that, so you get to go out like that!" retorted Charlie Brown. "We're not waiting another 15 minutes for you to try clothes on!" And at that moment, Snoopy and Marbles pulled up in the limo. Andy, Olaf, and Woodstock was in there, along with Ox and Patty (Swanson), and Rattler and Thibault.

"Hey, CB!" said Rattler. "I always wondered how your dog got a driver's license!"

"Trust me, Rattler, we ALL wondered that!" Charlie Brown responded back. "Well we better get going." And the kids all hopped into the limo and took off for Ace's.

At the ice cream shop, all of the kids were there. They were anticipating what they had to offer and how the place was going to look like since the reconstruction. An excited Peppermint Patty, along with Franco, met up with Charlie Brown, Frieda, Sally, and Michael. Marcie would be joining them later.

"Heya, gang!" she greeted. "How about this, eh? Ace's is finally reopening! I can hardly wait!"

"I know the feeling, Patty," said Charlie Brown. "This is where Frieda and I had our first date."

"I was especially anticipating this reopening," added a happy Frieda. "This is one of my favorite places. ESPECIALLY with it being one of the first places I went with Charlie Brown on our first date."

"Yah, when Hans and I come to America, Patricia and Marcie brought us here," said Franco.

"I think we all are looking forward to Ace's finally opening back up," said Linus, walking up to the group, along with Eudora.

"Oh, hey, Linus," greeted Charlie Brown. "You two just getting here?"

"Yep, we just arrived," said Linus.

"Where's your dog, Charles?" asked Eudora.

"I have no idea, Eudora," said Charlie Brown. "He and his brothers disappeared after we arrived."

"No telling what those dogs are up to," said Frieda. Pretty soon, it was time for the reopening to commence. The owner of Ace's, Rudy Ace, cut the ribbon, and everyone went in to the newly-renovated Ace's. Everyone was impressed. Things looked the same, yet some stuff looked updated, as well. During the event, everyone got some ice cream, sundaes, and banana splits. Snoopy and his brothers were dressed as soda jerks and was helping out with serving ice cream. Charlie Brown and the other kids couldn't believe the dogs actually made it in and even serving the people.

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE HONEYMOON'S OVER**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: WELCOME BACK… …NOT!**

As time went on, folks began to notice that Ace's had more security around the place. They figured that after the fire, Rudy, the owner, wanted to keep his place safe from vandals and arsonists so he wouldn't have a repeat of the previous summer. And while folks respected that decision and even understood given the circumstances, they soon realized that the security would not be that friendly to people, even the ones who mean no trouble.

It started the week after the reopening, when Lucy and Schroeder went in to get some ice cream before heading to Schroeder's home to do their homework together. While their ordering the ice cream went smoothly, it was after they received it that it went downhill.

"All right, finish up and move on," said one burly-looking security guard. "We have other customer's waiting."

"Don't rush us!" Lucy protested. "We're almost done."

"We don't want you kids starting anymore trouble," the guard said sternly.

"Hey, I wasn't one of the Lizard Ladies!" Lucy yelled at the guard.

"Oh, so you WERE one of the Lizard Ladies, eh?!" shouted the guard.

"I just said I WASN'T!"

"Lucy, let's just finish before we make him mad," said Schroeder, trying to keep some sort of peace.

"TOO LATE, KID!" screamed the guard. "NOW LEAVE THIS ESTABLISHMENT, OR I CALL THE COPS!" The kids didn't even finish their ice cream. They ran out of there before he could say anything else.

Another incident was when Claudia, along with Skylar, her sister Krissy and Krissy's girlfriend Red, all went to get some sundaes. Skylar liked the place because Ace's also served sugar-free ice cream so he could have that. The same guard started in on them.

"Hurry up, we got other people waiting," he growled. "We have enough punk kids in here, as it is!"

"Excuse me?" said Krissy, starting to get upset.

"You heard me, you little tramp!" the guard sneered.

"Who do you think you are, mister?!" snapped Red. "Don't you DARE talk to my girlfriend like that, in front of her sister!"

"Oh you mean four-eyes there?" said the guard, almost laughing.

"W-why is he b-b-being so m-mean, K-Krissy?" asked Claudia, near tears.

"It's okay, Claud," said Skylar, trying to calm his girlfriend down.

"Where's Rudy?" asked Red. "My dad is friends with him and I want to talk to him."

"NO ONE SEES RUDY WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ME!" screamed the guard. "NOW FINISH YOUR #$% ICE CREAM AND LEAVE!"

"TOO LOUD! TOO LOUD!" shouted Claudia, covering her ears.

"She's autistic, you blockhead!" yelled an angry Krissy. "She's sensitive to loud noises! So stop your yelling, get Rudy out here so we can file a complaint against you!"

"I have news for you, you dyke!" said the guard with a slimy grin. "Rudy left me in charge to do what I want, when I want! And in Ace's, I AM the law. So I can talk as LOUDLY AS I WANT! **NOW LEAVE THIS BUILDING, IMMEDIATELY!**"

Claudia ran out screaming holding her ears, with Skylar chasing after her. Red glared at the security guard, who was now red in the face.

"You haven't heard the last from me, you jackass!" she growled. And she and Krissy left to find Claudia and Skylar.

Word was getting around about the jerk security guard at Ace's. No one could see Rudy or even get a refund with this security guard blocking everyone from access to him. While the kids were the guard's main target, even adults weren't safe from his wrath. One day, the Serpent Sisters went to visit the Spiders, along with the rest of the gang in tow to find a solution to the Ace's problem.

"This has been going on too long, Widow!" said Lucy, who was still angry from being kicked out. "That guard is abusing his power, that is obvious, but what about Rudy? How is he letting him get away with this?!"

"I know this guard, Mamba," said Black Widow. "He was once a cop in my neighborhood. But he got in trouble when he went a bit too far with an arrest on this kid. He landed him in the hospital after beating him to a pulp." The other kids gasped.

"Good grief!" said a shocked Charlie Brown. "What happened to the cop after that?"

"He was kicked off the force," Widow continued. "Last I heard was he started his own security business, which I assume is working at Ace's now with him there. Let me tell you, this guy is bad news. He doesn't like too many people, and he really hates kids, the younger, the more he hates them."

"That explains why he acts the way he does towards us," said Peppermint Patty.

"But how do we get to Rudy?" asked Linus.

"I just so happen to know his son, Rudy Junior," Orbweaver responded. "Junior goes to my school. Maybe I can get to the dad through his son. Plus I think Junior has a crush on me."

"So you talk to Junior and try to talk to Rudy," said Cobra. "Then he'll have to hear us out, thus bypassing the fat angry guard."

"That's sounds like a good idea," Widow agreed. "Okay, Weaver. You talk to Junior. And we'll await what happens next." And the kids, aside from the Spiders, all went back to their homes, while Orbweaver put her plan into action.

**NEXT CHAPTER: MEET JUNIOR**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: PLAYING PEACEMAKER**

_Southville Middle School, 11:30 AM, Lunch time_

Rudy Jr. was not a good-looking guy by any stretch of the imagination. He had messy dark-brown hair that could never stay in place, he was scrawny, he had a big nose that would outdo Peppermint Patty's schnoz, and he hated ice cream, due to his old man working around it all the time. But as much as he hated ice cream, he didn't mind working with his dad at the shop. But he hadn't been there since the new security guard had been there. He hadn't been there since the fire. So he had no idea what was going on over there at Ace's.

Orbweaver saw Junior getting his lunch, skipping the ice cream dessert, of course. So she put her plan into action.

"Hi, Junior," she cooed.

"Uh, h-hi, Wanda," said Junior. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Weaver replied, batting her lashes at the now-nervous Junior. "So what are you having for lunch, hmm?"

"Uh, pizza, a brownie, green beans, and a chocolate milk," Junior replied. "What about you?"

"Who me? I'm having a salad with Italian vinaigrette. Got to watch my figure."

"And a lovely figure it is! Oh, good grief! Did I say that out loud?!" Junior turned red with embarrassment. Weaver giggled.

"I don't mind. I love it when someone compliments me." She started caressing his head, rubbing her fingers through his messy hair.

"Homina, homina, homina, homina…"

"Rudy, honey? I wanted to know if you would like to go out to the movies with me tomorrow night? Because the weekend is here, I wanted to know if you were able to-"

"YES! I'd love to, Wanda!"

"Okay then. I'll meet you at your place. I'd like to meet the man behind Ace's Ice Cream Shop while there."

"Sure, you can meet my old man! No problem. How does 11 sound?"

"Sounds great, Junior." And Orbweaver lightly kissed him on the cheek. "See you for our date tomorrow." And she got up, leaving a love-struck Junior in a daze.

_Saturday, The house of the Ace Family, 11:00 AM_

Orbweaver was sitting on the couch at the home of the Ace family. Rudy Ace, Sr. came out to greet his son's date. He was taken aback by her appearance. She wore wild clothing, but had nice auburn-brown hair and bright blue eyes. No wonder his son fell for this girl.

"Hello, Mr. Ace," she greeted him.

"Hello, Wanda, is it?" said Rudy.

"Yes, sir," Weaver replied. "How are you, sir?"

"Well I've been better," sighed Rudy. "Ever since reopening my ice cream shop after the fire last summer, people haven't been coming in as much anymore. I don't understand why." Weaver gasped.

_"He has no idea!"_ she thought to herself.

"People used to flock to my shop," Rudy continued. "In fact up until now folks were wondering when I was reopening. And when I finally do so, no one shows up. I also hired security to make sure the customers are safe. So that nothing like what happened last summer don't happen again."

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, did you screen your security guard?" asked Weaver.

"Ryan? He's a good man. Used to be a police officer, you know. Figure if anyone knew how to keep troublemakers out, he would."

"But there is a such thig as being 'too good', as well."

"What do you mean, young lady?"

"Mr. Ace, after your son comes out, would you want to go down to your shop so I can show you what REALLY has been going on?"

"Sure, I guess so." And Junior came out dressed for his date.

"Okay, Wanda," he started. "Ready to go?"

"We will go to the movies soon enough, Junior," said Weaver, "but there's something your father, and YOU for that matter, should see." And the three of them left for Ace's.

Once they got there, Rudy was about to go in the front door, when he was stopped by Weaver. She had a plan up her sleeve.

"No, Mr. Ace, sir," she said. "If you go in through the front, your guard will put on a front like everything is all right, when it really isn't. Is there a back door we can go in?"

"Yes there is," said Rudy. "I have the key to it, so the alarm won't go off because it's for emergency exiting and deliveries only." And the trio snuck through the back door. Once inside, they saw Ryan, the security guard, yelling at what looked like 5 and his sisters, 3 and 4.

"But we just sat down, mister," said 3.

"We haven't even started eating our ice cream," added 4.

"I DON'T CARE!" screamed Ryan, the guard. "I'M TRYING TO KEEP THE RIFF RAFFS OUT! YOU NOW, YOU LITTLE BRATS! NOW FINISH YOUR %$^& ICE CREAM AND BEAT IT!"

"RYAN!"

Ryan turned around to see an angry Rudy Ace standing behind him. The bravado he had just a moment ago had left in a hurry.

"Uh, Mr. Ace!" he stammered. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough!" Rudy responded, with anger in his voice. "I hired you to make sure no one like the Lizard Ladies would start causing chaos and trouble, NOT to scare all of Sparkyville away from this place!"

"I know," Ryan protested, "and look at this place! Nothing but peace and quiet! No snot-nosed brats, barring this trio until they finish their dishes like they're told, or any other riff raffs around!"

"But we aren't all like that, sir." Ryan turned around to see Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang there, along with the Spiders. "Not all of us are like the Lizard Ladies. Most of us are very respectful to adults, would never dream of burning down half of the town. The Lizard Ladies was ran by a girl who had mental issues. She's now locked up in an insane asylum with no chance of ever coming out. As for the rest of the Lizard Ladies, they're either locked up in the Juvenile Detention Center, or sent to reform schools or military schools. We would never cause any harm."

"Charlie Brown's right," said Violet. "Every kid here is decent."

"All we want to do is enjoy this delicious ice cream," said Peppermint Patty.

"But we are being prevented from enjoying your establishment by Attila the Hun here," said Rattler, pointing at Ryan.

"So, Mr. Ace," Linus chimed in, "can we come back to this place without having to be bullied into leaving?"

"Absolutely, kids," said Rudy, with a smile. "And I am sorry about the actions of my now FORMER security guard."

"FORMER?!" shouted Ryan.

"That's right, Ryan," said Rudy. "Now's my turn to do some yelling. RYAN, **YOU'RE FIRED!**" And all of the kids cheered.

"Don't be upset, Officer Inski," said Black Widow to Ryan. "You could always ask for your old job back as a beat cop."

"Do I know you?" asked Ryan.

"Once upon a time," Widow responded with a wink. Ryan exited the shop, muttering something about "rotten kids" on the way out.

"And kids, today only, all ice cream is on the house!" Rudy announced. And the kids cheered again. Frieda hugged Charlie Brown and kissed him.

"Isn't this wonderful, sweetie?" she said, beaming. "We have Ace's back!"

"It is, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. "It is wonderful." And the kids began to have some ice cream and Snoopy turned on the jukebox to play some tunes. Some kids danced and some ate all the ice cream they could eat. Junior walked over to Orbweaver.

"So about our date…"

"I haven't forgotten, Junior," said Weaver, with a smile. "I know you don't care for ice cream, but can we stay for a little while?"

"Well, I don't mind sorbet too much," said Junior. "Dad, can I have some orange sorbet?"

"Sure thing, Junior," said Rudy.

"Make it two, sir," Weaver responded.

"Coming right up!" And Weaver and Junior enjoyed their date. While he wasn't attractive in any kind of way, Junior was happy that a pretty girl like her was interested in a guy like him. And Weaver had found herself liking Rudy Ace, Jr., herself. He was a very nice guy and was caring. It looked like they were going to be good together.

_It's like a diamond ring_

_It's a precious thing_

_And we never want to lose it_

_It's like a favorite song that we love to sing_

_Ev'ry time we hear the music_

_And we're in this love together_

_We got the kind that lasts forever_

_We're in this love together_

_And like berries on the vine_

_It gets sweeter all the time_

_It's like a rainy night and candlelight_

_And ooh, it's so romantic_

_We got the whole thing working out so right_

_And it's just the way we planned it, do do_

_We're in this love together_

_We got the kind that lasts forever_

_Don't you know, that,_

_We're in this love together_

_And like berries on the vine_

_It gets sweeter all the time_

_You know we're in this love together_

_We got the kind that lasts forever_

_We're in this love together_

_We got a kind that will last forever and evermore_

_Don't you know we're in this love together_

_We got the kind that lasts forever_

_Singing out, we're in this love together_

_We're gonna find that the love has opened up the door, hey yeah yeh_

_Don't you know that,_

_We're in this love together_

_We've got the kind that brings to mind a favorite song_

_Let me say that,_

_We're in this love together_

_We got the kind that blazes all night long, yeh yeh yeh yeh_

_We're in this love together_

**NEXT CHAPTER: RETURN TO NORMAL**

"**We're In This Love Together"** written by Roger Alan Murrah / Keith Stegall

© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: ALL IS QUIET NOW, EXCEPT FOR THE CROWDS AT ACE'S**

As the next week began, Ace's was back to normal. Rudy had hired another security team to watch his store, but they were more respectful of kids and people in general. All were enjoying the ice cream, including Charlie Brown and Frieda, who were on an after school mini-date. They soon saw Snoopy, Andy, Olaf, and Marbles walking by with ice cream cones, with 5 scoops each.

"Only Snoopy and his siblings," sighed Charlie Brown.

"Tell me about it, babe," agreed Frieda. Peppermint Patty, Franco, Marcie, and Franklin walked in and joined them.

"Heya, gang!" greeted Patty. "Looks like the joint is jumping today."

"How can a building jump, sir?" said Marcie. "Won't it collapse from all of that jumping?"

"I never thought I'd say this again, but you're weird, Marcie!" said Patty. "And quite frankly, I missed that."

"I noticed you're in a better mood these days, hun," observed Frieda.

"Well I think we can let the cat out of the bag, Franklin," said Marcie.

"Well Marcie and I are now dating each other, guys," announced Franklin.

"We know!" said all of the kids.

"You do?" asked Marcie.

"You two have been close as of lately," said Charlie Brown. "Especially after, well, you know."

"It's all right, Charles," assured Marcie. "While I will miss Hans and Franklin will miss Melanie, we are happy together. And they would both want us to move on. And I think they'd be happy that we got together and we make each other happy."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Marce," said Franklin, who gave a kiss to Marcie on the cheek. "Now how about we get some Ace's ice cream before heading over to your place for some studying?"

"I'm game for that… …Frankie!" And Marcie and Franklin got in line to get some ice cream.

"It's about time they came out with them being together," said Patty.

"I know," said Frieda. "Still, I'm happy for the two of them."

"Me too," added Charlie Brown. "Incidentally, how's Claudia after that guard screamed at her and her sister, Red, and Skylar?"

"She's still a bit shaken up about it, Chuck," said Patty. "But she'll be okay."

"I'm glad about that," said Frieda.

"No kidding, Frieda." And the kids enjoyed the ice cream and the day together. With Ace's back, and everything almost repaired, Sparkyville was coming back from the brink faster than expected. And all was good with that.

**THE END**


End file.
